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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-She et 2.

F. PRITCHARD.

PNEUMATIC .AGTION FOE ORGANS. N0.-396,'955. Patented Jan. 29. 1889.

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UNITED STATES PATENT Oriuce,

FREDERTCK PRTTCHARD, Oh MERTDEX, ((lYNEtilTtlfl.

PNEUMATlC ACTION FOR ORGANS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 396,955, dated January 29, 1889.

Application filed April 30, 1888. Serial No. 272,265. (No model.)

To all z/17z'07n/ it may concern..-

Be it known that I, hnE oEnIcK lnrri HARD, of Meriden, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut,have invented a newlinprovemcnt in Pneumatic Actions for Organs, &c.; and I do hereby declare the following. when taken in connection with acmnnpanying drawings and the letters of reference marked theron, to be a toll, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

Figure l, a vertical section through the exhaust-chamber, through a single operator, and the corresponding parts of the instrument; Fig. 2, the flexible material which is adapted to open and close the air-inlet apertures; liig.

2,.a modification in the flexible materiab;

Figs. 3, r, and 5, modifications in the application of the operator; Figs. 0 and T, modificaand in which a series of openings is pre vided into an eXhaust-chamber, the said openings corresponding to the respective reeds of the instrument, and which openings, if uncovered, admit air through the openin s; but, being covered, close the openings, to prevent the admission of air. In the usual. construction of this class of instruments the device for covering and uncovering the said openin 's consists of a strip of paper having slits which are adapted to pass over the said openings, and so that as the slits register with the said openings air is permitted to pass through the said openings to supply the exhaust; but the spaces between the slits close the said openings and prevent the admission of air, the sound being produced when the said pcrforat-ions in the paper register with the said openings. The invention is, however, applicable to other forms of instruments as a means tor opening the valves or impart ing a blow-- as for bells or wires-acmrding to the nature of the instrument.

In another application, Serial No. 2513,6210, l

have shown and described a pneumatic operator for these classes of musical instruments. in which the operator consists ot a follower, with an air-rcceiving passage opening to one side of the follower and an air-escaping pas; sage opening from the opposite side of the t'ollmver, the said follower movable between said receiver and escape-open ings, with a flexible con ncction from said t'ollowcr on one side around said inlet-opening and a flexible connection from said tollower upon the reverse side around the mitlet-opening, and with a passage opening through the follower of less area than the opening from the receiving and escaping pz'issagcs. ln that device a constant exhaust or force is applied upon one side of the follower, according to the nature of the instrument, which force holds the follower in its normal position, from which it is released by opening a passage to the rcvcrse side of the follower, so that air may pass into or escape from the side of the follower opposite that to which the tor-cc is applied, accordingly as the instrument is of a force or eX- haust character.

This construction necessitates a double bellows-like arrangcmeirt-that is, with a flexible connection upon both sides oi? the follower, around the respective openings, and so that the follower ma play between the two. \Yhile this construction accomplishes a very good purpose, as set forth in my said application, it is somewhat complicated and expensive.

The object of my present invention is to simplify the construction and adapt. it to operate by closing the inlet or discharge, instead of by opening, as in my first applicationthat is to say, so that in the case of an orguin- 'ette, where a strip of paper is used, the sound will be produced when the openings over which the paper passes are closed, and so that the sound will cease so soon as the perforations in the paper register with the said inlet openings; and the invention cons. in the construction, as more fully hereinafter desc ibed, and particularly recited in the claims.

' strumeut, as usual in orguinettes.

. than the aperture h.

In Fig. 1,I show so much of an instrument as will be sufficient to illustrate the application of the invention to an orguinette.

A represents the sound-chamber, to which the exhaust apparatus is applied in the usual manner. (Not shown.)

B represents a reed-passage arranged above the exhaust-chamber, and to which apassage, (1 from the exhaust-chamber leads, in the usual manner.

0 represents a second recd-passagc, to which is a like opening, I), from the exhaust-clarinher, as hererepresented. These two passages are closed by a valve, D, the valve being supported by the usual spring, E. This is a common arrangement of valve and reeds.

F represents the pneumatic operator. This consists of a plate, (I, hinged, say, on the top of the exhaust-chamber, as at e, and so that its other end is free to swing up and down. Between it and the surface below a flexible connection, f, is made, of the usual bellows-like character, and so that the plate (Z may rise or fall under a force applied for that purpose, thus producing a bellows-like air-chamber. From the interior of this operatorF a passage, g, leads to the inlet-passage G, having an aperture, 71. It will be understood that there are series of inlet-passages g, each having its own aperture 12, corresponding to the respective reeds of the in- The paper, which is represented at 2', is adapted to be moved over the apertures, in contact with the surrounding surface, as usual in orguinettes, the paper dilfering, howevever, from the paper of usual construction, as I will presently describe.

From the operator F a passage, 1, opens into the exhaust-chamber below, the area of the opening I being no greater, but preferably less,

The plate (I of the operator is in commotion with the valve D by means of a spindle, m. The spring E of the valve serves by its connect-ion with the plate cl to hold the operator in its open or expanded condition, as seen in Fig. l.

The operation of the instrument is as follows: The exhaust is applied to the chamber A in the usual manner. Suppose the aperture It to be open, air will flow through that aperture, through the passage G and opening g into the operator, to supply the exhaust which was made therefrom through the passage so that while that aperture 71 is open the exhaust from the chamber A will have no effect upon the operator. N ow if the aperture It be closed, so as to cut off the supply of air to the operator, it necessarily follows that the exhaust being continued will take the air from the operator, and under such exhaustion the operator will collapse from the pressure of the outside atmosphere, represented in broken lines, Fig. 1. As the operator F collapses, it opens the valve D, as indicated 1n broken lines, so that air will pass through the reed or reedsinto the exhaustchamber and produce the sound, as usual in this class of reed instrui'nents. One such operator is provided for each particular valve. To open and close the apertures It, the paper is perforated, as represented in Fig. 2, with several series of perforations, each series cor responding in lines to the respective apertures, as in paper for usual orguincttes. These several series of perforations are interrupted by spaces 97, not perforated. These spaces )1 (rm-respond to the notes to be sounded. As the paper is drawn over the apertures, the perforations therein admit the air to the operator to retain it in its normal or expanded position; but as soon as an unperforated portion of the paper passes over a correspond,

ing aperture h that aperture is closed and held closed until the perforations again conie over the aperture. So soon as the aperture is closed the operator F collapses, as before described, and opens the corresptmding valve, and remains so collapsed until in the continued movement of the paper the perforations again come over the aperture 72 to admit air thereto. This construction of the operator is simpler than in my previous application, and correspondingly cheaper.

I have represented the exhaust to work the operator as produced from the sound chamber; but it may be produced by an independent exhaust-passage, II, as represented in Fig. This modification also illustrates the invention as applied to a pipe-organ, I representing the pipe and J the wind-chest, from.

which the valve opens to permit the escape of air from the wind-chest to the pipe.

Instead of admitting and cutting off the supply of air through the apertures 71, as I have described, these apertures may be operated by the fingerssay as represented in Fig. t, in which the aperture h mayrepresent naturals in one line, and a second parallel line of openings, 1*, may represent flats and sharps. In this modification I also illustrate the operator as adapted to strike a blow, as for a bell, II representing the bell, and M the hammer, which, as the ope *ator collapses, as represented in broken lines, will bring the hammer into contact with the bell. Again, the apertures may be closed by valves, as represented in Fig. 5, and keys adapted to operate the valves upon the apertures h.' This modification also illustrates the invention as applied to a tracker, N, which connects with other devices of the instrument, as in the usual construction of musicalinstiannents.

In the illustrations which I have made in thus describing my invention I have shown only single operators and the single connections therefor; butit will be understood that a series of operators and apertures are provided corresponding to the series of soundproducing devices. The illustration of a single operator is, however, sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to understand and apply my invention.

I have represented the invention as having the operator made in the form of a bellows, the plate being hinged at one end, with a surrounding flexible material connecting it to the adjacent surface; but the operator may be of other known constructions-such, for illustration, as seen in Fig. (3, where the plate or follower is connected with the adjacent surface by a flexible material entirely around it, so as to leave the plate free to rise and fall bodily; or it may be made in the form of a piston, as seen in Fig. 7, the piston working loosely in the cylinder, so as to permit the passage of air around it from one side to and through an aperture on the opposite side. lVhile, therefore, preferring the firstdc scribed operator, I do not wish to be understood as limiting this part of my invention to such an operator.

In the use of the paper which I have described as a means for opening and closing the apertures I am enabled to avoid the long openings which are necessary in the paper in the usual construction, where the sound is produced corresponding to the openings in the paper, for every connection or break in the openings in the paper makes a correspomling break in the sound. Because, therefore, the sound is produced by the closed or solid portions of the paper, I am enabled to make the open spaces to consist of a succession of small perforations, as represented in Fig. 2. These perforations produce, as far as the admission of air is alone concerned, substantially acontinuous opening, because the connections between successive perforations are not suiiicient to cover the aperture. Hence the paper is very much stronger and less liable to injury than in case of long openings, necessary in the usual construction of orguinettes. The openings, however, in the paper may be made in the form of slits, as represented in Fig. 2, and produce the same result. This paper, Fig. 2, differs from the paper usually employed in orguinettes in the fact that it is, as in Fig. 2, a solid portion of the paper which produces the sound, while the openings produce the break or interruption between the sounds.

I say paper, because paper is the material which is usually employed; but itwill be understood that any suitable flexible material may be substituted therefor.

I claim 1. In an orguinette, the combination of pneumatic operators corresponding to each sound -producing device, the said operator consisting of a plate, (I, hinged at one end, a flexible connection around said plate, with the adjacent surface on which said plate is supported, so as to form a bellows-like chamber, air-inlet passages G, opening to the said operators, each passage terminating in an aperture, 71, opening to the atmosphere, an exhaust-chamber, a passage, 1, between said exhaust-chamber and operator, the opening to said passage Z into the operator being of no greater area than the area of the aperture 71, a connection from said operators with the respective sound-producin g devices, and a flexible strip adapted to move over said apertures 71, the said strip having series of openings in line with said apertures, the closed spacesbetween said openings ctn-responding to the length of the note or sound to be produced, the openings between the said closed spaces COl'lOSPOlNllllg to the time required lj)etween the sounding of corresponding notes, substain tially as described.

2. In an orguinctte having a series of openings corresponding to the respective reeds of the instrument, and having pneumatic operators between the said openings and the said reeds adapted to operate said reeds when said openings are closed, the combination therewith of an operating-strip adapted to be moved over said openings, and the said strip constructed with lines of perforations corresponding to the respective openings over which the strip is adapted to run, the said lines consisting of a series of perforations alternatingwith closed or solid spaces, the length of the said solid spaces correspomfling to the length of note required, and the length of the series of perforations between said solid spaces corresponding to the length of time required be tween such notes, substantially as and for the purpose described.

FREDERICK PRITCHARD.

Witnesses:

LILLIAN D. KELsEY, JOHN E. EARLE. 

